The present invention relates generally to an aircraft passenger seat configured to recline, and more particularly, to an aircraft passenger seat having a translating seatback linkage pivot for providing greater control and customization over the relationship of the seatback and seatpan angles as the seat reclines.
Aircraft passenger seats are typically configured to recline during flight to enhance comfort. Premium and luxury seats, such as those found in passenger suites, may be configured to recline to horizontal for sleeping. More economical seats typically have a limited amount of recline due to space limitations behind the seat.
In the above reclining seats, the seatback and seatpan are typically pivotally attached in an arrangement in which the pivot is fixed. In such an arrangement, the movement of one seating surface can advantageously be used to drive the movement of the other, but the horizontal fixing of the pivot disadvantageously limits the amount of seatback recline, particularly in seats with a fixed privacy partition located behind the seat and a short distance between the pivot and the partition. Further, the pivotal attachment of the seatback and seatpan in such a constrained space limits achieving certain seating angles during the reclining motion. Therefore, what is needed is a seat recline mechanism configured to take full advantage of limited space, as well as a seat recline mechanism configured to achieve seat angles not capable of being achieved in fixed pivot seats without the complexity, cost and weight of additional actuators.